


Fight the Future

by natandsteve



Category: The X-Files
Genre: AU, Badass Dana Scully, F/M, Fight the Future, Movie: The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998), Sculder, Soft Dana Scully, Soft Fox Mulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natandsteve/pseuds/natandsteve
Summary: A little AU piece created two years ago with my dearest friend, my real-life Mulder.AU - Fight the future, the bee sting scene.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Fight the Future

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fabulouslylazy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulouslylazy/gifts).



Place: Mulder's Apartment  
Location: 2630 Hegal Place, Alexandria, Virgina  
Time: 8:00 pm  
⠀  
⠀  
A set of car keys jingled haphazardly as Mulder shoved them into the apartment door lock. Giving the knob a forceful turn, the FBI agent entered his living quarters, striding across the quaint living room, a man on a mission.

Tossing his leather jacket on the sofa, Fox took a seat at his desk and began rifling through the bottom drawer, moving aside old computer parts and random baseball cards. Finding a hidden latch, the brunette delved into a hidden compartment, retrieving what looked to be a family photo album.

Thumbing through pages of old memories, Fox stopped on a photo of a cookout. Hazel hues taking in the sight of Samantha caused a sudden pang of pain to hit Mulder square in the chest. Eyes scanning the page, the agent noticed someone in the background...a man he hadn’t become acquainted with until recently. Alvin Kurtzweil. 

A sudden noise caused the male to gaze up into the face of his partner as she entered the apartment. Photo album spread across his lap, Mulder could feel an air of unease pass between the two as Scully shot him a concerned glance.

“What’s...wrong?” Fox queried, not entirely certain he wanted to hear the answer.

Dana launched into a monologue detailing her transfer to Salt Lake City Utah and apparent departure from the X-Files. It had been hard enough for Dana Scully to drive over to his place, all the while trying to begin to understand what this would mean for them. It was exhausting, how would she begin to tell him? But then to see his face, and see the pain. The words fell from her mouth, Dana was visibly deflated.

He was on the verge, and it hurt her so much to see him this way. Logically speaking, this could only end one way. He wasn’t just losing her, he was losing himself and was something she had worried about for years. Her eyes searched his, the spark of hope had long been extinguished. 

Mulder averted his eyes momentarily to the photo album as a wave of anger and sadness crashed over him. “You can’t quit now, Scully.” The man’s somber tone filled the space between the duo.

Mulder suddenly slammed the album onto his desk and stood up, facing his long time confidant. The look of hurt in her crystalline gaze told the agent she was being forced to do this rather than choosing it. “After what you saw last night, after all you’ve seen you can just...walk away?!” Mulder raised his voice slightly as he inched closer to Scully feeling he was on the verge of losing her forever.

What would be left of him if she stayed to watch him fall apart until the very end? What would be left of her? “I have... I did, it’s done.” She shook her head. He looked angry, but she knew deep down it wasn’t absolutely aimed at her. She stood her ground. After being his partner for so many years, they knew how much the other could take.

“You don’t need me Mulder, you never have...” her heart was racing as the words continued to flow. It was like a tap that she couldn’t turn off. She needed him. “I’ve just held you back...” Scully half whispered. It was the truth. Just like any wound, the truth was painful. She’d become so good at compartmentalising over the years but around Mulder, that just went out of the window. “I’ve got to go...” if she didn’t, the pain would consume her and her walls would crumble. Dana turned without giving him a chance and sighed as she exited the apartment. 

* * *

_“You don’t need me Mulder, you never have…”_

Scully’s words pierced through the agent’s heart like a million tiny daggers. Mulder peered down at his short-statured partner while shaking his head in disbelief. This was not happening.

Locking eyes with the redhead, Fox could read her emotions like an open book. There was no way she wanted to abandon their partnership, even if the bureau was forcing it upon her. Before he could get a word in, Scully fled from the apartment, leaving behind a lingering sense of defeat.

Not a moment later, the brunette emerged from his living room and followed his partner into the deserted apartment complex hallway. “You wanna tell yourself that so you can quit with a clear conscience, you can, but you're wrong!” Anger tainted the male’s words as he rushed forward gently placing a hand upon Scully’s arm.

The dim lighting of the hallway was enough to mask the tears threatening to fall as Mulder gazed at Scully. The tension between the duo buzzed like an electrical current bringing with it a surge of emotions.

Fox’s mind raced with memories and flashbacks of first becoming acquainted with Dana up until their current case. They had been through everything together and Scully was the reason the agent hadn’t completely given up on finding the truth.

If they quit now then the Syndicate would win and all of their hard work and dedication would become meaningless.

“Scully…you can’t do this. I know you better than I know myself. This isn’t how it’s supposed to end…we need one another. I need…you.” Mulder wanted nothing more than to reach out and take his colleague into his arms but he was afraid she’d shatter underneath his grasp. 

Dana hadn’t expected him to follow her, she had half hoped he’d allow her this one. To leave with her dignity intact as she was feeling exceptionally emotional. She was being forced away from him and it hurt. It hurt more than anything. More than her cancer ever could. He was her rock, her reason for not giving up.

  
Then his voice was behind her, she closed her eyes as her back was facing him. How could he think that, after everything? What sort of logic was that? She turned towards him, eyes inflating. His hand on her arm, it meant so much. Their relationship was built on those small moments. 

“Why did they assign me to you in the first place, Mulder? To debunk your work” She looked directly into his eyes. They maintained eye contact. “To shut you down..” They had tried to use her to get to him many times over the years. But their bond was no match. Her chest was heaving, up... down... up... It was electrifying. Scully studied him intently. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end.

She glanced at his lips briefly before looking back up to his eyes. “Mulder...” she needed him too. “My hands are tied... there’s nothing rationally I can do... they’ve taken the choice from me. It’s that or I quit for good... either way I’m not with you...” 

Holding his partner’s gaze, Mulder inched forward trying his best to suppress his feelings. The manner in which Dana flicked her glance towards his lips caused a flurry of elation to rise in the pit of the agent’s stomach.

The mention of Scully being assigned to debunk his work was further cause for a flurry of memories to cloud Fox’s thoughts. He reminisced of the particular morning when a petite red head dressed in a matching skirt suit had entered Mulder’s dungeon office and introduced herself as Dana Scully.

“But you saved me! As difficult and as frustrating as it’s been sometimes, your goddamned strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times over!”

The brunette closed the gap between them and gently reached out to wrap his muscular arms around Scully’s small frame. Fixating on the woman’s plump lips momentarily, Fox chokes down his emotions and carries on.

“You’ve kept me honest...you’ve made me a whole person. I owe you everything, Scully, and you owe me nothing.” T-shirted chest gently pressing into Dana’s form, Mulder brings his hand up to softly caress the back of the agent’s head.

“I don’t know if I wanna do this alone...I don’t even know if I can...and if I quit now, they win.” Mulder’s tone, barely audible above a whisper, brushes against Scully’s ear as they embrace one another securely.

Dana’s eyes were damp, glassed over with unshed tears. She wished they’d stop, but they were driven by the memories that clouded her mind. All the cases, all the times he’d saved her. All the times she’d saved him.

How could he believe she didn’t owe him anything. They owed everything to each other. Their partnership meant more to her than he would ever know. She opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. She was hurting.

  
And then he was holding her. She’d missed the security his strong, warm arms would bring her. She could feel him. His body against hers, the up and down of his diaphragm, the in and out of his breaths. If she concentrated hard enough she could imagine the perfect beats of his heart. His honest heart.

She breathed shakily and nuzzled his shoulder. It was an intimate embrace, they both knew it. She sighed and allowed her eyes to close. She memories all of his distinct features, the shape of his body, the way he’d lower himself to her height as they hugged - hell even his scent.

  
She only pulled back when it finally overwhelmed her. She needed him. Dana Scully knew in that moment, their friendship, their partnership... God it had grown into something so beautiful she couldn’t label it. She couldn’t empirically measure it. Scully kisses his forehead meaningfully before resting hers against it. Her eyes lowered to his lips. Oh she wanted to... it would give her the courage to stay, to fight. Dana closed her eyes again out of fear of ruining this moment. 

Bodies pressed together much like interlocking puzzle pieces, Mulder allowed his eyes to flutter closed. How long could they make this moment last? Breath hitched within his throat, Fox could feel Dana’s heart racing in sync with his own as they stood together within the apartment hallway.

There was no way the FBI agent was letting Scully go, not this time. They had come too far and been through too many adventures together to quit now. Breaking the tense silence, Scully pulled back and placed a tender kiss upon Mulder’s forehead. Insides fuzzy, Fox slowly opened his gaze and met Dana’s tear-stained eyes.  
⠀  
Hazel hues flicking towards his partner’s plump mouth, Mulder gently caressed the back of her neck. Allowing his emotions to get the best of him, Fox slowly leaned forward aiming to press his lips upon the red head’s.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the scene unfolded, heart racing wildly, Mulder wanted nothing more than to taste Scully and bask in the comfort of her loving kiss. The air was so electric around the couple it almost seemed as if you could feel tiny sparks emanating between them. The agent silently snuck in a breath, taking in with it the familiar scent of his companion

It was as if time stood still for them.

Although, Dana knew it was impossible she could detect the characteristics of romantic tension. Not just sexual. It could never be just sexual between them. The hair on the back of her neck stood up to attention. A shiver down her spine. Need. She needed him to continue. She needed him to live. It was an intense feeling that was so irrational it was rational. His soft movements left her craving more, it was the little things like that which made her fall for Fox.

  
Her wet eyes studied him. He was moving in, and so was she. The tug in her abdomen became more pronounced. She remained so close, holding onto his shirt. His scent took over her nervous system. He was her stimulus. He was her everything in that moment and many more before it. This was there time.

Her soft lips ghosted his, the distance barely there now. Her breath mingled with the heat of Mulder’s. So close. One heart beat, two heart beats... almost there Dana. Her thoughts for the first time were in line with her heart and desires. The briefest of touches, his lips upon her, her upon him. You couldn’t tell who initiated it, before it could go any further than the brush of their first moments she was forced to retreat and rest against his shoulder.

A heavy cloud of sexual tension settled around the FBI agents as they moved in for the kill. Mulder allowed his eyes to close momentarily as the duo’s soft lips ghosted one another for too brief a time. The small hairs present on the back of Fox’s neck stood at attention as Scully’s warm breath mingled with his own.

“Ah- shit,” the agent gasped. A sharp, blinding white pain struck the back of her neck. She was still holding onto his shirt. However now only tighter out of shock and agony. “Something stung me...” she managed to mumble, reaching back.

Skin tingling from the almost kiss, the brunette moved his head back at his partner’s sudden outburst. “Are you...alright?” Mulder cooed as he gave the red head enough space to reach back and grab something off of her shirt collar.  
  


Calculating hazels took in the appearance of a small bee pinched between Dana’s fingernails. Mulder raised a brow, his mind racing back to their adventure inside the dome just hours prior. Gazing back at his companion, the agent noticed something wasn’t right.

All color drained from Scully’s face and her gaze appeared to be far away focusing on something else. Instincts kicking in, Fox stepped forward and wrapped his arms gently around the crimson tressed female as she slowly began to collapsed into him.

“Scully, tell me what’s happening. What’re your symptoms? Stay with me...” Mulder instructed all the while helping guide the agent down towards the hallway floor.

It was like everything was moving in slow motion. She heard his voice but he sounded so far away, echoing in a long tunnel.

“Something’s.. Mulder something’s wrong..” her breaths were becoming shallower. She could no longer smell the comfort of his cologne, or the comfort of his own personal scent. “I’m having lacerating pain in... in-“ it was hard just talking.

Her mind wasn’t as sharp as it usually was, and she hated it. Dana’s grip on his shirt slackened as she tried to continue. But she just collapsed into him. “In my chest...” she continued as he laid her down on the cold hard floor, calculating her symptoms as best as she could. “Mulder... motor functions are being affected.. My pulse is-“ it wasn’t strong.

It was taking the last of her energy trying to remain calm. The redhead looked up towards his eyes but the lights above were too bright. “thready... a funny taste in the back of my throat.” The agent hated being weak, she hated not being able to get up and fight it.

Those dark thoughts of holding Mulder back swarmed again although she knew it was irrational. “F-fox..” her eyes were damp as the pain increased. 

Picking up on his partner’s shallow breathing, Fox made sure to position her as comfortably as possible on the hallway floor. The agent gently lifted Dana’s head and slowly scooted himself closer, now cradling her red tresses atop his lap. “I’ve got you Scully...” Mulder cooed, coaxing the doctor’s far away gaze to focus on him.

The bureau employee’s medical knowledge was rather lacklustre, but from the sounds of it Scully’s symptoms were very alarming and coming on fast. Pulse quickening, Fox dug a cellular flip phone from his pocket and punched in the emergency number for the bureau while keeping his eyes on Dana.

“This is Agent Fox Mulder, ID number 2219-526. I have an agent down, her name is Dana Scully. She is complaining of chest pain and lack of motor function. We believe it was brought on by a bee sting.” The agent on the other end confined the male’s status as well as put in a request for an immediate ambulance.

Fox hung up the phone and tossed it to the ground before trailing his eyes over his companion’s lithe frame. Tiny beads of perspiration began to form on Mulder’s brow as he clutched Dana as if he were going to lose her. “An ambulance is on the way just hold on a little longer...” 

Ten minutes passed before the familiar blaring alarm of a medical vehicle sounded outside the apartment complex. Two men in uniforms rushed up the stairs pushing a gurney towards the duo.

Relieved, Fox transferred his partner’s care over to the paramedics and they soon had the crimson haired woman on the gurney heading towards the exit. Mulder rushed alongside, keeping his hand wrapped around Dana’s. “Her pulse is waning and she complained of a funny taste in the back of her—“

The blonde haired EMT held up a hand as they began loading Scully into the back of the ambulance. “We’ve got it from here...”

Fox stepped back from the vehicle, a forlorn expression clouding his features. “You can call the hospital to check up on your partner.” Something didn’t feel right. Normally Mulder would be permitted to ride with Scully to the hospital but these men were adamant about admitting her on their own.

Her body was both too warm and too cold at the same time, it was consuming. The need to breathe overwhelmed her, but it was as if she was fighting against an unrelenting current. Dana felt him move her head onto his lap soothingly. Her inflating eyes watched his mouth as he phoned for help.

“M-Mul..” her throat was dry, voice hoarse and barely there.  
She tried to muster a small smile, let him know he’s getting her words right but it took so much effort to just keep her eyes open. The clatter of the cellphone on the floor echoed but didn’t quite reach her ears. She was trembling with each shaky beat of her heart. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. They were supposed to have more time.

She felt as if she was stuck in limbo, purgatory, both everywhere and nowhere. Right now she couldn’t pray, her faith shaken for why would God do this to her? Do this to them? She kept trying to talk to him, but with every word her slur worsened. She was scared but she never wanted to admit it. It would be admitting defeat, failure. That was Dana Scully’s worst fear. She didn’t realise the paramedics were here until she was no longer on the floor. No longer with the comfort of her close partner’s lap. No hand stroking her hair, comforting her, telling her it would be okay. They always fixed it. Even after her abduction. They fixed it and moved on.

  
She turned her head to find him slowly, the motion made her dizzy. Then he was beside her again and she was hanging on for dear life. Her eyes were doing the talking now. /Please don’t let go/.

But then he was forced to let go as she was loaded inside. She had a horrible thought. Dying alone. “Muld..Mulder!” It tore from her throat. Her eyes as wide as a frightened animal once cornered. Why wasn’t he in the ambulance with her? Where was he going? She looked around, almost completely dazed.

Something in the back of her mind began ringing alarm bells. Or was this it? Paranoia finally catching up to her after five years in the X Files. “Mulder!” She cried out again. Her voice sounded hollow. Her hand shakily clawed at the IV that had been inserted into her arm, quite messily an M.D. would say. Adrenaline made the world even dizzier for the young agent. She was sure her body would give out any moment.

“What hospital are you taking her to?!” Mulder’s angered tone called out as the paramedics slammed the doors of the ambulance shut.

The agent cursed, hearing his partner’s faint voice calling out for him as she lay helpless and alone upon the gurney. Fox’s stomach muscles clenched with anxiety as the driver revved the engine of the emergency vehicle signaling it was ready to go. Several strides later and the brunette was banging on the driver side window glaring at the stranger behind the wheel.

“HEY! Where are you taking HER?!” Mulder yelled just as the EMT raised his right hand up towards the window.

A loud bang issued, bringing with it a flash of searing hot pain as agent Mulder’s muscular frame hit the asphalt with a thud. Eyes fluttering closed, a blossom of crimson liquid gushed from the man’s temple as he lay semi-unconscious in the middle of the street. The supposed paramedic leaned out of the shattered ambulance window, verifying his target was incapacitated. He had been instructed to terminate Fox Mulder if he interfered with transporting the subject back to the Texas research facility. What they needed agent Scully for exactly was an enigma to the stranger but he wasn’t one to ask questions if the pay was right.

* * *

  
⠀

A series of faint grunts escaped Mulder as he lethargically moved his head to the side. The bureau employee’s hearing was temporarily damaged due to the close range of the gun shot. Everything sounded muffled as if he were floating under water. Mulder began to put the puzzle pieces into place but at a slower pace than normal. He’d been...shot?

So, was this how it was going to end? With Spooky Mulder sprawled in the middle of the road, cause of death gun shot wound to the temple? The severity of the scene struck the agent, causing him to go into shock. Pulse racing, all Fox could think about was Scully’s fate as he drifted off into unconsciousness. 

Her body was battling between giving out and going into overdrive. A chemical war zone had claimed her from the toxin and the substance that had been pumped into her from the IV. Dana could hear Mulder’s shouts, it filled her with hope, she wasn’t alone and he was not leaving her.

She managed to disconnect herself from the cold gurney and lower herself to the floor. Her legs felt like jelly, she clutched onto the gurney’s railings as she steadied herself. Bile rose up in the back of her throat. His pleas and protests told her all that she needed to know. This wasn’t a real ambulance. It was bigger than anything they’d encountered before, it must be associated with ‘the conspiracy’ as her spooky partner would mention.

However, a loud bang made Dana Scully freeze. Glass shattered and she knew the familiar sound of a gun shot. Mulder hadn’t been armed. Her body went rigid when the realisation hit her. Dana scrambled as best as she could to the foot of the gurney as the engine roared to life as the vehicle began to pull away.

The agent tore the door open, the newer chemical made her somewhat coherent. Calculating her chances, she fell forward from the ambulance and rolled once, twice on the asphalt. She raised her head to see the flashing lights drive away, then her gaze focused on her partner sprawled out before her.

It took all her strength to get him there, but she knew what she had to do. She checked his vitals to the best of her current ability. This was a terrible predicament. Dana could usually barely lift him up for extended periods of time under normal conditions but now she had no choice and barely any control of her own stability. She dragged her partner back inside. She had to if she wanted a chance for him to make it. “Mulder, it’s me..” her voice still hoarse. She looked down at him, all her emotions bubbled to the surface. She sent a silent prayer, and pleaded that someone up there would hear it.

  
Once inside after the Olympic like exertion she had just endured she managed to settle him on his sofa before she ransacked his apartment for a damp cloth and makeshift medical apparatus. She kept trying to talk to him, a mantra ran through her mind. He’d anxieties tried to take control. If he died it would be her fault. She wasn’t in a fit state but who could she trust?

It was irrational but she had no other choice. The red head began to work on him, clearing the blood off his pale face, the wound was indicative of a close range shot. It filled her with rage and a sadness at the same time. Gauze, tweezers and some dubious work ahead of her she set to work, keeping an eye on his pulse while her own skyrocketed.

If he died she’d never be able to forgive herself, but that wouldn’t matter. She’d go with him, on his sofa, together. The way it was supposed to be. She needed him to wake up. She needed his help. She stroked w hand through his hair as she breathed through the dizziness before continuing to extract the bullet. 

Darkness. All around. Mulder tried to move his limbs to no avail; the man’s muscles felt like lead anchors weighing him down. Fighting against the will to succumb to his injuries, Fox began to stir ever so slightly while Scully tended to his head trauma. The bullet had luckily only grazed the side of the brunette’s temple but a piece of it had broken off and lodged just under the skin. Dana worked as diligently as possible despite her own ailment to remove the shrapnel. A faint moan escaped from the agent’s plump lips as he slowly began to regain consciousness. ⠀

  
Hazel optics fluttering open in what felt like slow motion, Mulder gazed up at his partner. Seeing her alive sent a wave of relief through the pit of Fox’s stomach as he attempted to speak. “I thought...my guardian...angel would be...a little...taller.” The bureau employee’s parched throat caused his voice to sound strained as he shot Dana a half hearted smirk. The fiery haired female ran her nimble digits through Mulder’s hair, causing a calming sensation to blossom within his chest. Fox blinked a few times as his mind attempted to process what exactly had happened after the EMTs loaded Scully into the back of the ambulance.

Dana willed him to wake up, to come back to her. She didn’t want to be left alone, she was alone without him and it scared the redhead. Her body was arched uncomfortably as she worked on removing the offending piece of shrapnel. Scully could feel fatigue setting in again, the effects of the chemically altered bee returning once more but still she fought, she had to save him. This was where they stood, was this where they fell?

She froze as he moaned, he was waking up. “That’s it, you’re okay..” she murmured as she stroked his hair. Her eyes squinted in dull light of his apartment as his gaze fixed on her. His partner tried to smile as he smirked at her, he looked handsome, even now with a bandage securing his head. “I don’t know Mulder, thought you didn’t believe in angels...” she whispered croakily. Her hands moved out to steady him, “please be careful, Christ, you were shot in the head..” she whispered to him as she shifted backwards slightly.

Memories of Dana being stung by a bee in the apartment complex hallway surfaced, causing Mulder to sit upright a little faster than he should have. “Scully, are you alright? How the hell did you manage to take care of me when you collapsed in the hallway? You should be resting.”

“Someone had to...” she looked down bashfully. She had cried as she dragged his still body through his apartment complex.

Concerned hues stayed trained on the red head as Fox dizzily stood up. Without giving the agent time to protest, Mulder scooped her up in his strong arms and carried Dana towards the bedroom. “You’re...shaking.” The male’s worried tone filled the silence between the couple as he gently placed Scully onto the bed.

“Mulder, stop you-“ but he was picking the petite agent up and her words had failed. Her deathly pale face had been peppered in scrapes from being unable to break her fall from the ambulance. The silence held so much meaning, it was both comfortable and terrifying. They’d both been so close to losing the other, they still were.

Head throbbing, Mulder made his way into the kitchen and filled two glasses with water before heading back into his room. Handing over a glass to Dana, the brunette downed his in one gulp. 

She was breathing heavily, but quietly. She didn’t want to worry him, he had been shot in attempt to protect her. Dana felt somewhat responsible as a result of her cognition. 

“I won’t lie, Mulder... I don’t know what’s wrong with me..” she trembled in his strong arms. His bed was comfortable, the pillows engulfed her small form, protecting her from the world. Then he was leaving the room again, she held her breath to listen out for his footsteps.

Dana Katherine Scully knew it wasn’t over. Sooner or later they would figure out she wasn’t in the ambulance and they would come back. Why had they attempted to kidnap her anyway? The details of what had actually transpired were fuzzy. She barely noticed Mulder thrusting the glass of water towards her. She thanked him quietly. She felt as if she had something had burnt the back of her throat.

The young agent sipped the water slowly, her heartbeat slowed as her adrenaline dissipated. Mulder was alive. She reached up and rubbed her chest, her skin was clammy against her once crisp, white blouse. “How are you feeling?” The M.D. asked him, she always prioritised him, she always would.

Mulder’s throat silently thanked him for the h2o as he set the glass down on the bedside table. Hazel hues flicking to Dana, the agent watched as she sipped at her drink slowly. Deep down, the brunette realized they both were in dire need of medical attention. Who knew what type of toxin was coursing through the red head’s petite frame all thanks to the syndicate’s secret bee base. Fox rubbed the back of his throbbing head, tossing around the idea of visiting the local hospital. If the duo were admitted, surely the men who had kidnapped Scully would return to finish the job. He wouldn’t let her go, not now, not ever.  
⠀  
Slipping off his jeans, Mulder crawled onto the bed now clad in a form fitting T-shirt and boxer briefs. Sitting up against the plush pillows, he reached a hand out to gently caress his partner’s scraped face. “If you start to feel...faint again or if anything changes you let me know right away, Scully.” Fox nodded while gazing at the medical examiner.

“Me? You’re worried about me? You’re the one who was attacked by some mutant bee. I should be checking you over to see if you’ve grown a pair or wings or an extra leg or two.” A tired chuckle escaped from the agent as he slunk down into the soft sheets of the bed.

“C’mere...” Mulder beckoned, allowing Scully to gently tuck herself against his body. The brunette wrapped an arm softly around her shoulders as they settled in. “You know, tonight could’ve been our last moments together...” Fox paused, listening to the rhythmic sound of his companion’s breathing.

“I wouldn’t be ok if I lost you, Scully. I’ll never let anything like that happen to you again.” Mulder brushed aside the woman’s hair and planted a tender kiss upon her clammy forehead. “Besides...if you left we both know I’d end up a lonely old man who’d try and sustain himself off of stale beer and sunflower seeds for the rest of his miserable existence.

Dana sipped the water slowly, although it felt as if she would just cough the liquid straight back up. She felt terribly ill, as if she was in a bubble and everything was one second behind reality, words not matching mouth movements, hearing but not really taking it in.

She was trying not to think of how desperate their current predicament was. Scully watched him as he battled with his internal thoughts. She knew what he was thinking, she’d thought about calling for help but her phone was destroyed and his landline was most likely bugged. They’d find them.

The agent barely registered her partner removing his jeans until he was laid beside her. The domestic act comforted her, as did his gentle hand touching her face. “Mulder... I’m okay for now..” she whispered gently before beginning to ask after his well-being once more. His joke reassured her that all was relatively well, he was still the same humorous fool as before, her fool.

“I can assure you, I have no wings albeit my sense of place has shifted but I wouldn’t stretch to say I’m turning into a mutant bee” she smirked weakly. Her expression changed after a few moments. The horrid thoughts of them both dying, him bleeding out and her body shutting down, unable to help him. “Hold me, Mulder... please...” her voice was uncharacteristically quiet, much like it had been after the encounter with Pfaster.

She was grateful when he allowed her into his embrace. The Medical Doctor rested her head on his chest, hair splayed out across his shirt. Dana closed her eyes at the thought, a dreaded fear of hers but she listened still.

His intimate confessions warmed her infamous ‘cold’ heart. She wasn’t the Ice Queen everyone at the Bureau thought her to be. Scully breathed slowly as he spoke, her heart was beating an irregular but frequent rhythm. “I promise, I won’t let you get shot in the head because of me again..” she whispered as she stroked his side tentatively.

She traced intricate circles. “Do you think, if I hid here in your apartment instead of going to Dallas, they’d have my badge?” The redhead murmured to her companion. She didn’t want to move ever again. Her head slowly moved up, eyes gazing into his before briefly glancing to his lips.

The FBI agent had deep feelings for Fox that she barely could grasp herself. The fear of his demise had overwhelmed the logic centres of her brain so thoroughly that she despised the thought of anymore time being wasted. She knew she could be dying, he nearly had. If that bullet had been any closer... she looked back into his eyes.

If she was dying, she wanted him to know how deeply she cared for him. It stretched beyond the colloquial concept of ‘love’. It was a deep understanding they shared.

But God, she did love him.


End file.
